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New Virgin East Coast Website

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Haywain

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New one for me...

The last three times I've booked Sleeper tickets online (Caledonian), I've been to a station to collect them. All three times, after entering the reference and pressing collect, the machine has thought for thirty seconds, then given up and a message comes up to try another machine, or try later.

Trying at a second machine gets to the same stage, but then the message states to seek assistance (from ticket office staff).

These were all in the last couple of weeks - No issues before that point.

In all three cases, the staff were great - they said 'the Tribute system had locked the booking', and logged on to the LSM system to unblock it and print the tickets.

They did say other customers had had similar issues (involving tickets other than Sleeper tickets). A (frustrating!) new bug with the TOD machines perhaps?
Not sure what that has to do with the VTEC website, where you cannot book sleeper tickets, but this is because of a new format for the sleeper tickets which not all ticket issuing systems are set up to print.
 
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43094

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To be fair, it isn't to do with the site itself - fair point.

However, I didn't know what the change was which has resulted in being unable to print them - thanks for clearing it up.

Do you know which (self-service) TOD machines *will* allow them to be collected please?
 

Haywain

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I don't know what the actual format change is, but it is officially a new format specifically for those tickets. I also don't know which TVMs would be able to issue the tickets, but I am pretty sure that VTEC machines can't (I'll be doing some checking on that).
 

43094

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Thanks - fingers crossed there will be a way round it in due course!

I don't know what the actual format change is, but it is officially a new format specifically for those tickets. I also don't know which TVMs would be able to issue the tickets, but I am pretty sure that VTEC machines can't (I'll be doing some checking on that).
 

IanXC

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18 Dec 2009
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So I just received a wonderfully-titled email from VTEC, "Your London Kings Cross trip just got glorious", about how, for example, "Our team will be there throughout your journey, ready and raring to help. You’ll find them at The Foodbar between Standard and First Class." (I wonder, if there's a lack of crew at any point, what compensation I would be entitled to?)

But, I would rather not receive such emails. So I looked for an unsubscribe option.
Oh, I thought; this looks promising: "If you would like to stop receiving information about
your journey please click here."

On the linked page, I select the option "If you would like to stop receiving information about your journey with us please select this box" - the other option for reference is "If you already know how all this works and you don’t need us to give you any information for future trips please select this box".
Both of these seem clear, I won't get more informative emails about this [first option] or this and future [second option] trips.

There is no possibility to enter any other information on that page.

However, on clicking submit, I just get the following helpful message:
"Please correct the following errors:
  • Email: This field is required."
Does anyone know what I could do to stop these emails?

In my experience there is no way to unsubscribe from these emails.

Even when the website appears to accept your instruction to not send the 'emails about the bleedin obvious' once you make another booking it appears to reset back to send them. There is only one way... book with someone else!
 

FQTV

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In my experience there is no way to unsubscribe from these emails.

Even when the website appears to accept your instruction to not send the 'emails about the bleedin obvious' once you make another booking it appears to reset back to send them. There is only one way... book with someone else!

The emails are driven by your selection for journey reason.

Select 'Other' or 'That's For Me To Know' or whatever is the current non-disclosure option, and (in my experience) you won't get the pre-departure gear-grating spam.
 

IanXC

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The emails are driven by your selection for journey reason.

Select 'Other' or 'That's For Me To Know' or whatever is the current non-disclosure option, and (in my experience) you won't get the pre-departure gear-grating spam.

Having complained twice and been told that these options are dictated by the settings on the account, and not by individual bookings I'm wayyyy past returning to risk an inbox full of nonsense again!
 

96tommy

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Not to do with the website, but having been using VTEC's new ticket machines often recently.... they are possibly the worst ticket machine i've used. I'm usually good with machines etc. but these are difficult to use on a different level.
 

FQTV

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Having complained twice and been told that these options are dictated by the settings on the account, and not by individual bookings I'm wayyyy past returning to risk an inbox full of nonsense again!

I salute your faith in the accuracy and veracity of their Pinocchio Department's responses :E.
 

westv

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29 Mar 2013
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Still no resolution to the ongoing missing seat map selector farce.
Why it is taking so long I have no idea. The latest reply I received today clearly showed the sender didn't do the obvious thing and that is replicate the my selection and see the error that I'm referring to.
 

Wallsendmag

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Still no resolution to the ongoing missing seat map selector farce.
Why it is taking so long I have no idea. The latest reply I received today clearly showed the sender didn't do the obvious thing and that is replicate the my selection and see the error that I'm referring to.
Is it the Hull service ? NL65? I can have a look next week.
 

Deerfold

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Not knowing what everyone else's shortly is I couldn't possibly comment.

I think people may be referring to all the things Virgin's twitter feed indicated would be coming in Phase 2 of the website - and as far as I know they're all still outstanding.

I wonder how many other people have moved their booking to other websites?
 

joncombe

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6 Nov 2016
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Came across another weird glitch today. Trying to book a day return fare the website told me "Wow organised aren't you" and then went on to tell me that tickets are not yet available to book on the date of the outward journey but are on the date of the return (and suggested booking the return as a single now). Except both tickets are on the same date and same route, just in different directions. I've not yet come across any TOC that releases fares only in one direction!
 

SaveECRewards

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Came across another weird glitch today. Trying to book a day return fare the website told me "Wow organised aren't you" and then went on to tell me that tickets are not yet available to book on the date of the outward journey but are on the date of the return (and suggested booking the return as a single now). Except both tickets are on the same date and same route, just in different directions. I've not yet come across any TOC that releases fares only in one direction!
What route was it? If you're after a day return rather than advance surely it doesn't even matter whether fares are released yet as you're not after a quota controlled fare.
 

joncombe

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What route was it? If you're after a day return rather than advance surely it doesn't even matter whether fares are released yet as you're not after a quota controlled fare.

London <-> Leeds on the 10th March so yes I'm after quota controlled advance tickets.
 

SaveECRewards

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London <-> Leeds on the 10th March so yes I'm after quota controlled advance tickets.
The site is just being stupid. If you change the order round (Leeds - London) it still says the return leg is only available. But if you try and buy them separately you will have no such luck
 

FQTV

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It's now imposing a minimum two hour prior to departure purchase deadline.

Bought an East Coast ticket on the West Coast site last night, as the latter quite happily sold a ticket for departure within forty minutes.

The key thing was that, although it was (obviously) a walk-up fare, the last departure was less than two hours ahead, so effectively the site had given up selling on-the-day tickets for the last two hours of service.
 

Wallsendmag

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It's now imposing a minimum two hour prior to departure purchase deadline.

Bought an East Coast ticket on the West Coast site last night, as the latter quite happily sold a ticket for departure within forty minutes.

The key thing was that, although it was (obviously) a walk-up fare, the last departure was less than two hours ahead, so effectively the site had given up selling on-the-day tickets for the last two hours of service.

Has been since day 1
 

SaveECRewards

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22 Jan 2015
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Has been since day 1
But why? In the days of Rewards if I needed a short notice ticket I'd be on my phone ordering it online on the way to the station so that I'd get the points for it (no point these days with Nectar).

The point is though with ToD I've never had a situation where I've needed to wait 2 hours to collect a ticket, it has been ready as soon as the booking reference has been generated.
 

Marton

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9 Nov 2008
Messages
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Just tried to buy an any permitted ticket via a non standard route. VTEC wouldn’t let me reserve a seat. TPE did.

Lost the seat choice benefit. IMHO that’s the only benefit of the VTEC site now.
 
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